What does a Air Traffic Controller do?

Control air traffic on and within vicinity of airport, and movement of air traffic between altitude sectors and control centers, according to established procedures and policies. Day to day that includes work like inform pilots about nearby planes or potentially hazardous conditions, such as weather, speed and direction of wind, or visibility problems and Issue landing and take-off authorizations or instructions.

What skills should a Air Traffic Controller put on a resume?

O*NET rates Active Listening, Speaking, Critical Thinking, Judgment and Decision Making, and Complex Problem Solving among the most important skills for this occupation. Name the ones that are genuinely yours and show where you used them. A resume that lists skills you do not have is weaker than one that lists fewer.

What software should a Air Traffic Controller list?

Software recorded for this occupation includes Adobe Acrobat, Advanced technologies and oceanic procedures ATOP, Automated radar terminal systems ARTS, Center TRACON automation systems CTAS, and Direct-to-tool software. Applicant tracking systems match on the exact product name, so write the tool as the posting writes it rather than describing it in general terms.

What other job titles cover Air Traffic Controller work?

O*NET records 40 titles for this occupation, including Air Traffic Control Specialist, ATCS, Certified Professional Controller, and CPC. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.

What qualifications does a Air Traffic Controller need?

In O*NET's survey of people doing this job, 36% reported their level of education as "High School Diploma, or the equivalent". That is what current postholders reported, not a requirement any single employer sets.

Will this resume pass an ATS for a Air Traffic Controller role?

No tool outside an employer can tell you how that employer's system is configured, including ours. What you can control is that the resume parses cleanly, names the work in the words the posting uses, and does not claim anything you cannot back up.

Air Traffic Controller resume example

A resume for a Air Traffic Controller needs to show the work itself: control air traffic on and within vicinity of airport, and movement of air traffic between altitude sectors and control centers, according to established procedures and policies. Day to day that means work like this: inform pilots about nearby planes or potentially hazardous conditions, such as weather, speed and direction of wind, or visibility problems; issue landing and take-off authorizations or instructions. Recruiters and applicant tracking systems both read for the tasks and tools this role actually involves, so the strongest resume names them in your own experience rather than describing the job in the abstract. Below are the tasks O*NET records for this occupation, the software and tools it uses, the titles it is advertised under, and the skills worth naming if they are genuinely yours.

Also advertised as

The same job is posted under many titles. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.

Air Traffic Control Specialist
ATCS
Certified Professional Controller
CPC
Enroute Air Traffic Controller
Enroute ATC
Center Air Traffic Controller
Center ATC
Control Tower Operator
Radar Air Traffic Controller
Terminal Air Traffic Control Specialist
Terminal ATC Specialist
Tower Air Traffic Controller
Tower ATC
GCA Technician
Access Control Specialist
Air Route Controller
Air Route Traffic Controller

O*NET records 40 titles for this occupation in total.

What people in this job call themselves

Titles reported by people actually doing this work, which is often not the title on the job posting.

Air Traffic Control Specialist (ATCS)
Air Traffic Controller (ATC)
Center Air Traffic Controller (Center ATC)
Certified Professional Controller (CPC)
Enroute Air Traffic Controller (Enroute ATC)
Terminal Air Traffic Control Specialist (Terminal ATC Specialist)
Tower Air Traffic Controller (Tower ATC)

What this work actually involves

Tasks recorded for this occupation, in O*NET's words. If your experience covers one of these, it belongs on your resume in your own words.

Inform pilots about nearby planes or potentially hazardous conditions, such as weather, speed and direction of wind, or visibility problems.
Issue landing and take-off authorizations or instructions.
Transfer control of departing flights to traffic control centers and accept control of arriving flights.
Provide flight path changes or directions to emergency landing fields for pilots traveling in bad weather or in emergency situations.
Alert airport emergency services in cases of emergency or when aircraft are experiencing difficulties.
Monitor or direct the movement of aircraft within an assigned air space or on the ground at airports to minimize delays and maximize safety.
Direct pilots to runways when space is available or direct them to maintain a traffic pattern until there is space for them to land.
Monitor aircraft within a specific airspace, using radar, computer equipment, or visual references.
Direct ground traffic, including taxiing aircraft, maintenance or baggage vehicles, or airport workers.
Contact pilots by radio to provide meteorological, navigational, or other information.
Maintain radio or telephone contact with adjacent control towers, terminal control units, or other area control centers to coordinate aircraft movement.
Determine the timing or procedures for flight vector changes.

23 tasks are recorded in total; these are the most central.

Example bullets for this role

Built from this occupation's own tasks. The brackets stay empty on purpose: we will not invent a number for you, and a fabricated metric is the fastest way to lose an interview you had already won.

Inform pilots about nearby planes or potentially hazardous conditions, such as weather, speed and direction of wind, or visibility problems, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
Issue landing and take-off authorizations or instructions, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
Transfer control of departing flights to traffic control centers and accept control of arriving flights, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
Provide flight path changes or directions to emergency landing fields for pilots traveling in bad weather or in emergency situations, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].

Software used in this role

Recorded for this occupation by O*NET. An applicant tracking system matches the exact product name, so write the tool the way the posting writes it.

Adobe Acrobat
Advanced technologies and oceanic procedures ATOP
Automated radar terminal systems ARTS
Center TRACON automation systems CTAS
Direct-to-tool software
En route descent advisor EDA
Enterprise resource planning ERP software
Expedite departure path EDP software
Final approach spacing tool FAST
Flight simulation software
Microsoft Access
Microsoft Excel
Microsoft Office software
Microsoft Outlook

20 software entries are recorded in total.

Tools and equipment

The physical equipment this occupation is recorded as using. Worth naming when a posting asks for it by name.

Air route surveillance radar ARSR systems
Airport surface detection equipment ASDE systems
Airport surveillance radar ASR systems
Area navigation RNAV systems
Automatic direction finder ADF radio systems
Binoculars
Controller pilot datalink communication CPDC systems
Desktop computers
Differential global positioning system DGPS surveillance systems
Digital airport surveillance radar DASR systems
Distance measuring equipment DME
Flight simulators

Skills an ATS reads for

Worth naming only if they are genuinely yours. Keyword overlap is one input to a resume's score, not a verdict.

Advanced technologies and oceanic procedures ATOP
Automated radar terminal systems ARTS

What this job rates as most important

O*NET rates every skill for importance to this occupation. These are the highest rated, in order.

01Active Listening
02Speaking
03Critical Thinking
04Judgment and Decision Making
05Complex Problem Solving
06Monitoring
07Coordination
08Active Learning
09Reading Comprehension
10Time Management

Knowledge areas

The subject knowledge this occupation draws on, rated by importance.

Transportation
English Language
Public Safety and Security
Education and Training
Customer and Personal Service
Geography
Telecommunications
Mathematics

What qualifications people in this job have

From O*NET's survey of people doing this work. This is what postholders reported, not a requirement any single employer sets.

36%High School Diploma, or the equivalent
21%Post-Secondary Certificate, awarded for training completed after high school
20%Bachelor's Degree

What level this role is pitched at

O*NET places this occupation in “Medium Preparation Needed”. Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.

Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations. For example, an electrician must have completed three or four years of apprenticeship or several years of vocational training, and often must have passed a licensing exam, in order to perform the job.

Common questions

What does a Air Traffic Controller do?: Control air traffic on and within vicinity of airport, and movement of air traffic between altitude sectors and control centers, according to established procedures and policies. Day to day that includes work like inform pilots about nearby planes or potentially hazardous conditions, such as weather, speed and direction of wind, or visibility problems and Issue landing and take-off authorizations or instructions.
What skills should a Air Traffic Controller put on a resume?: O*NET rates Active Listening, Speaking, Critical Thinking, Judgment and Decision Making, and Complex Problem Solving among the most important skills for this occupation. Name the ones that are genuinely yours and show where you used them. A resume that lists skills you do not have is weaker than one that lists fewer.
What software should a Air Traffic Controller list?: Software recorded for this occupation includes Adobe Acrobat, Advanced technologies and oceanic procedures ATOP, Automated radar terminal systems ARTS, Center TRACON automation systems CTAS, and Direct-to-tool software. Applicant tracking systems match on the exact product name, so write the tool as the posting writes it rather than describing it in general terms.
What other job titles cover Air Traffic Controller work?: O*NET records 40 titles for this occupation, including Air Traffic Control Specialist, ATCS, Certified Professional Controller, and CPC. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.
What qualifications does a Air Traffic Controller need?: In O*NET's survey of people doing this job, 36% reported their level of education as "High School Diploma, or the equivalent". That is what current postholders reported, not a requirement any single employer sets.
Will this resume pass an ATS for a Air Traffic Controller role?: No tool outside an employer can tell you how that employer's system is configured, including ours. What you can control is that the resume parses cleanly, names the work in the words the posting uses, and does not claim anything you cannot back up.

Related roles

Occupations O*NET records as closest to this one, and worth looking at if this search is not moving.

What this page cannot tell you

No tool outside an employer can tell you how that employer’s ATS is configured, including ours.
This page makes no claim about pay, demand or how many people hold this job. O*NET does not publish that here and we will not estimate it.
Keyword overlap is one input to a resume’s score, not a verdict on you. A resume that names skills you do not have is worse than one that names fewer.

If this is the job you are aiming at, the guide to tailoring a resume covers how to aim one posting properly, and building and exporting a resume here is free.

Occupation data from the O*NET 29.1 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under CC BY 4.0. O*NET is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. SpartanResume is not endorsed by USDOL/ETA.